Chapter 4: The First Time He Called ‘Noona

“Uh… hi.”

The male student who spoke to Kangeun in front of the school gate with a flushed face was wearing the uniform of a nearby high school.

“I’ve seen you on the bus every day. It’s been a while. Didn’t you know?”

Every morning, Kangeun would take Siheon to the elementary school near their house and then take the bus to her school.

She had seen the male student on the bus a few times.

“I don’t know when it started, but I can’t even sleep because I’m thinking about you. I like you.
I want to get to know you better.”

“Um, I’m sorry but…”

“Before you say no, just think about it one more time. I’m a good guy.
We shouldn’t be talking like this here… can you spare some time?”

Kangeun, who had shed her childishness and become a beautiful young woman, had been aware of the gazes from male students that had started to turn her way for some time.

But this was her first real confession, so she was flustered and a little scared.

“I’m sorry, but my little brother is waiting for me.”

“I won’t take up much of your time.
Just a moment.”

“No, I…”

It was when Kangeun was about to express her refusal more clearly.

“Noona!”

At the voice coming from the direction of the bus stop, Kangeun turned her head without thinking.

“Uh…?”

Before she could even be surprised, Siheon ran and buried himself in Kangeun’s arms.

“Siheon-ah…?”

“Noona, let’s go, let’s go home.”

Kangeun blinked her puzzled eyes and looked down at Siheon, but Siheon didn’t look up at her.

He just tightened his arms around Kangeun’s waist, glaring at the male student in front of them with eyes full of hostility.

“Siheon-ah, you just…. you, did you speak?”

“Let’s go home, quick.”

“You, you now, Siheon-ah, you can talk now?”

A belatedly surprised Kangeun grabbed Siheon’s small head with both hands and asked.

Siheon’s eyes, which had been shooting daggers at the male student, moved to Kangeun who was looking down at him.

The look of unchildlike anger and vigilance was gone.

The child’s eyes, looking up steadily into her large ones, were overflowing with affection and obsession for one person only.

It was similar to the gaze Kangeun had always seen, but it was a little more desperate than usual.
However, Kangeun, moved by the fact that Siheon had spoken for the first time, didn’t notice.

“Noona, let’s go home.
Huh?”

His pronunciation was so clear it made her think it was a mistake that he couldn’t speak before.

His voice was also so cute and childlike.

Tears quickly welled up in Kangeun’s eyes as she met Siheon’s gaze, looking up at her with a straight-on stare.

“You did well. You did well, Siheon-ah. You did well.”

“Let’s go.
Quickly.”

Kangeun wiped away the tears that were falling and started walking as Siheon urgently led her.

In doing so, she completely forgot about the male student who had confessed to her and was standing there dumbly, waiting for an answer.

After that, Siheon, with his backpack on, would be at the main gate of Kangeun’s school every day after her classes ended.

“I’m going to pick you up, why do you come every day.
It’s tiring.”

“Do you not like me coming?”

“Not like it?
I’m so happy and glad to see you.
But if you come to meet Noona like this, you’ll have less time to read books at the library, Siheon.”

She said it out of concern for the book-loving child who was cutting back on his reading time to walk all the way to Kangeun’s middle school, which was seven bus stops away.

Originally, Siheon would wait for Kangeun by reading books in the small library within the elementary school after his classes ended.

This had been a routine for over two years, ever since Kangeun started middle school and attended a different school.

“I’ve read almost all the books in the library, so there’s nothing more to read.”

“…What?”

“I like waiting for Noona here more.
You said you were going to buy spinach, right?
Let’s go, Noona.”

Following Siheon who casually took her hand, Kangeun suddenly felt that Siheon had grown a lot taller in the past few days.

She wondered when he had grown so much, and felt proud and pleased with how well Siheon had grown.

That’s why she had nodded her head vigorously and patted his head when he said he didn’t want to talk in front of people yet, that he only wanted to talk with his noona.

Kangeun supported Siheon’s courage in just starting to speak and respected his choice.

This daily routine continued ever since.

Days of simple grocery shopping with Siheon who waited for her after school, then coming home to study and read books while whispering secretly from Miryeong, and falling asleep holding Siheon’s hand.

Then, once a week, or once every two weeks, when her father who worked in the provinces came home, she would sleep with Siheon and her father in the small room.

“Lay out your homework.
Noona will just change clothes and help you right away.”

“Don’t go out.”

“…Huh?”

“It’s inconvenient for you, Noona.
I’ll go out.
Call me when you’re done changing.”

Kangeun chuckled as she watched the back of Siheon who quickly got up, closed the door, and left.

‘I really don’t know when he grew up so much.’

Not long after he started elementary school, he had said he would wash by himself, and now he had learned to be considerate of his noona who went to the bathroom to change clothes.

Kangeun felt a renewed sense of pride and picked out her clothes.

She just hoped that days like these would continue.

She didn’t have any big desires.

****

That day was different from usual.

It was the day Miryeong, who always overslept and never even saw the kids off to school, made them breakfast with a bright face.

“…Did you get another one?”

“It’s okay.”

As the now seventeen-year-old Kangeun carefully spit out the eggshell that had been in her rolled omelet onto a napkin, Miryeong smiled, her eyes crinkling.

It was understandable to feel unpleasant about chewing on an eggshell for the umpteenth time, but

Kangeun just smiled at the first breakfast table Miryeong had ever prepared for them.

“Yoon Siheon.”

“…”

“You have to listen to your noona.
You should know that meeting Kangeun is the biggest stroke of luck in your life.
Got it?”

“…”

At the unusual nagging to listen to his noona, Siheon just nodded, his gaze fixed on Kangeun’s hand.

“And, this.
Um… right!
I’m feeling generous!
Here!”

Miryeong took out three ten-thousand-won bills from her wallet, hesitated, then took out two more.

She held the five bills in her hand in front of Kangeun, shook them gently, and smiled with her eyes.

“…What is this?”

“What do you mean, it’s money.
After school, take Siheon and buy something delicious to eat, and go to the public bathhouse too.
He can wash himself now.”

This was unprecedented.

As Kangeun felt a sense of doubt and bit her lip, Miryeong forcefully grabbed Kangeun’s hand and pressed the bills into it.

“When an adult gives you something, you take it.”

“But…”

“No more talk.
Your aunt gave you an allowance, aren’t you going to say thank you?”

“…Thank you.”

“Good.”

She felt a strange sense of unease.
And for good reason, because this had never happened in the past few years.

“But Imo, then your dinner…”

“I’ll take care of my own dinner, so don’t worry and just you two go eat something delicious.”

“…Then we’ll just have dinner and come right back.”

“What’s with this girl?
What do you mean come right back, I told you to go to the bathhouse.
There’s a big bathhouse near your school, Kangeun.
It’s nice there.”

“I think it’ll be too late if we go to the bathhouse… Dad is coming today.
We’ll go to the bathhouse on the weekend.”

“You don’t get it, do you? You go to the bathhouse on weekdays. The water is so dirty on weekends because there are so many people.”

“Don’t do that, just wash up in the clean water and come back refreshed.
Ah, pizza would be a good menu.
There’s a delicious pizza place near the bathhouse.
I bet that Siheon has never had proper pizza before.”

Kangeun blinked her eyes and looked at Siheon, who was eating his meal quietly.

No matter what food Kangeun made for him, Siheon ate just the right amount without any expression.

He ate more than when they first met, but Kangeun always wished Siheon would eat a little more.

‘Why didn’t I think of getting Siheon pizza before?’
He would definitely like it.
Pizza is a menu that all kids Siheon’s age love.

After a moment of thought, Kangeun nodded.
Her dad would probably come home long after dinner time anyway.
If they ate dinner and went to the bathhouse, it would probably be around the time her dad usually came home.

Miryeong smiled brightly at Kangeun who obediently listened to her, and her gaze landed on Siheon.
Instead of looking at Miryeong, Siheon was only looking at Kangeun, who was smiling at the thought of feeding him delicious pizza.

“Kangeun-ah, don’t you think he’s getting more handsome these days?”

“Siheon has always been handsome.”

“Of course he is.
Whose son do you think he is?
But I’m saying that recently, his grandfather’s features are starting to show.”

“Well, I’m not really sure…”

“I guess.
You don’t know who Siheon’s dad or grandfather are, do you?”

Miryeong burst into laughter, and at the end of her laughter, she added with a bitter expression.

“What’s the use of being the spitting image of his paternal family?
I can’t just take a mute kid and shove him in their faces.
Hoo, really, he’s of no use at all.
Tsk.”

“…Imo.”

“Why are you glaring at me?
Anyone would think you gave birth to him, Kangeun.
If you don’t want to hear this, then speak up, Yoon Siheon.
If you had just spoken properly, would I be living like this?
This is all because of you.”

“Is it unfair?
If it’s unfair, then at least try crying out loud.”

“…”
“I’d rather die than suffer, what can I expect from him?
I gave birth to an idiot.”

“If you’re done eating, go.
You’ll be late for school.”

“Oof, I woke up early for a change and I’m so sleepy.
Should I try to go back to sleep?”

It was strange that she said she would go back to sleep with her face fully made up, but from the beginning, Miryeong was not someone Kangeun could understand.

It was when Kangeun stood up to clear the breakfast table she had finished.